The Peach Bowl is four days away.
It's almost here. pic.twitter.com/nwLGZ98rSl
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 26, 2022
It can't come soon enough.
Let's have a good Tuesday, shall we?
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! The more I learn about the Peach Bowl, the more I believe it to be fantastic. In addition to its sponsor Chick-fil-A being criminally delicious, the matchup being played in the beautiful Mercedes-Benz Stadium and several other factors, a news release from Monday made my appreciation for the bowl game much greater.
In keeping with its tradition of recognizing notable team alumni, officials announced today that Mike Doss and Champ Bailey will be honorary captains for their respective alma maters at this year’s College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between No. 4 Ohio State and No. 1 Georgia. The two will join the team captains at midfield for the pregame coin toss prior to the 8 p.m. ET kickoff on Dec. 31 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Mike Doss, honorary captain? Yes, please.
Doss, a recent inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, is one of eight Ohio State players in program history to be named a three-time All-American. He also earned unanimous All-American honors as a senior in 2002 – the same year the Buckeyes won a national championship by defeating Miami (Fla.), 31-24, in overtime to secure a perfect 14-0 record.
The Canton, Ohio, native finished his Ohio State career with the most career tackles by a defensive back in school history with 331 and also collected a Jack Tatum Trophy, three first-team All-Big Ten Accolades and a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award during his four years in Columbus. Doss was a second-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2003 and played six NFL seasons, winning one Super Bowl in 2007.
Doss' accolades are extensive, but I don't believe they are the sole reason he was selected as an honorary captain. Doss was an emotional leader for Ohio State back in the day – or maybe he just talked the most? (re: Eleven Warriors' 2002 Team Reunion) – and knows exactly what it was like to play for a Buckeye team that was counted out, referring to the Miami game mentioned above.
Hopefully, Doss can bring that intensity to the Ohio State locker room on Saturday and remind the coaches and players that the Buckeyes thrive with their backs against the wall and that all the hard work they put in can trump whatever the media and fans say about them.
Cheers to Doss for his selection. Let's make it pay off, Buckeyes.
THE BEST OF THE BEST. I've always been a huge fan of Albert Breer, an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated who happens to be an Ohio State alum and former writer for The Lantern (like me!).
On Monday, Breer wrote an article that caught my eye. He ranked the six draft-eligible prospects NFL evaluators have their eyes on in the College Football Playoff. The list included (in order) Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, C.J. Stroud, TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnson, Paris Johnson Jr., Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo and Michigan cornerback DJ Turner.
According to Breer, here is what NFL execs have said about Ohio State stars Stroud and Paris Johnson:
C.J. Stroud
He’s got incredible arm talent, good size and good athleticism. Most of the questions he’ll face are centered on how he handles things breaking down around him—he’s actually really good against pressure but can struggle when he has to play off-schedule or out of structure. “I like him better than I did [Justin] Fields,” says one NFC exec, “but he’s still third in the group [behind Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis] for me.” It’s fair to say no one player has more on the line in the playoff, related to their NFL draft stock, than Stroud.
Paris Johnson Jr.
I wouldn’t be surprised if, at the end of this, Johnson ends up going ahead of Stroud. From a build standpoint, he looks like he was constructed in a left tackle lab, and he also has a year as a guard on his résumé (versatility never hurts). “As the process goes on, he’ll rise,” says another NFC exec. “He’s a guy who’ll end up in the top 20. … He’s a really rare physical specimen. He’s not super heavy or stout, but he’s really athletic, long and he’ll get stronger. He’s a legit starting left tackle from Day 1.”
As Breer states, nobody has more on the line in this CFP than Stroud. His draft stock is on the line, yes, but as I have written in many Skull Sessions since the Michigan game and Ohio State's entry into the playoff, his legacy in the minds of many Ohio State fans hangs in the balance also. Talk about pressure.
With Johnson, we all have seen how talented and versatile the 6-foot-6, 311-pound behemoth from Cincinnati can be. Now it's time for him to show that again when Ohio State faces one of the top defenses and best defensive lines in America against Georgia in the Peach Bowl. For Stroud to be at his best, Johnson – and the other offensive linemen, for that matter – will need to be at their best. Talk about pressure.
And as the cliché goes (and it's only a cliché because it's true), pressure either turns a person to dust or a diamond. For Ohio State’s sake, let's hope the latter takes place on New Year’s Eve.
PFF WOULD LIKE A WORD. Breer may have listed the top six prospects NFL evaluators will be watching closely in the CFP, but who are the best overall players that will take center stage on Saturday? Well, Pro Football Focus would like to have a word.
Ten highest graded players in the College Football Playoff pic.twitter.com/lGncfkIDqT
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 26, 2022
A couple of thoughts, listed in a very stream-of-consciousness fashion...
- That's a ton of Buckeyes in the top 10. Five of 10, to be exact – as in, 50% of the list.
- How on earth did Ohio State lose to Michigan? Never mind, don't answer that. I don't want to talk about it.
- It looks like Ohio State needs to feed Marvin Harrison Jr. and Miyan Williams to beat Georgia.
- It also looks like Ohio State needs to neutralize Jalen Carter and Darnell Washington to beat Georgia. Brock Bowers would be a good person to neutralize, too, as he's a freak of nature.
- Harrison, Williams, Tommy Eichenberg, Ronnie Hickman and Zach Harrison better bring it on Saturday. Aside from Route Man Marv, the four other players are veterans, and as Ryan Day said on Monday, veteran players will have to play veteran for Ohio State to win. Time to lock and load, boys.
One more point that won't be listed: Bring on the Bulldogs. Ohio Against the World.
FIVE STARS EVERYWHERE. With Ohio State's 2023 Signing Day behind us and the Peach Bowl drawing near, talk of the Buckeyes' recruiting will head to the back burner, if only for a moment.
Still, I found this graphic from FOX College Football on Monday quite interesting, as it listed the five-star talent each of the 50 United States has produced in the 247Sports composite since 2000.
Take a look at every 5-star recruit by state since 2000
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 25, 2022
How many does your state have? pic.twitter.com/nVjHdqpmGR
The state of Ohio ranks seventh behind Florida, California, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana for the most five-star recruits with 28, which is pretty neat. Even neater is that most of those 28 ended up as Buckeyes.
Do names like Maurice Clarett, Donte Whitner, Justin Zwick, Ted Ginn Jr., Chris “Beanie” Wells, Braxton Miller, Adolphus Washington, Jalin Marshall, Zach Harrison, Paris Johnson Jr., C.J. Hicks and Sonny Styles ring a bell? They should!
And that's only a shortlist of the five-star high school talent in Ohio that would end up as Buckeyes in college, which speaks volumes of how the program has recruited the state. Jim Tressel emphasized putting a border around Ohio, Urban Meyer carried the torch (while also making the Buckeyes a national powerhouse) and so has Ryan Day.
Let's hope the torch keeps burnin’ for years to come.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Shelby” by The Brook and the Bluff.
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